For the curious reader of science fiction (scifi) and fantasy
I just received word that The Reefs of Time was awarded a silver medal in the Reader’s Choice Awards from Connections eMagazine! Woot! You can read the magazine here. And while you’re at it, look to see who else got noticed. Connections is a free magazine devoted to authors and books of all kinds, with interviews and reviews, etc.
Also, here’s the page with their SF/F awards. How were they chosen? I don’t know! Huzzah!
Because the whole Black Friday thing really bugs me. This is more of a “Have you listened yet and would you like to listen for really cheap?” Yes, another Chirpbooks sale has started (Cheep! Cheep!), and as a result you can get the audiobook of The Reefs of Time for some ridiculously low price, so low I don’t even want to remember what it is. The timing of it was completely up to the Chirpbooks people—just my luck of the draw that it’s right at Thanksgiving time. (In fact, the promotional email is going out on Thanksgiving Day, but the price has already been dropped.)
Most of the other Chaos books are discounted, too, because why not. These are all really good narrations. If you’re not into audiobooks yet, maybe it’s time to give them a try, what?
Or give them to somebody you love. Note, I did not say “gift” them to somebody you love. Because that would bug me even more than calling it a Black Friday sale.
*Footnote. I just checked the link and saw the display page for the book, and right there’s a nice quote that Greg Bear gave me for the book. Damn. That, I think, was the last time we communicated. Why did he have to go so young?
Everyone loves autographed books! Especially sets of books. I know just where to start: The Star Rigger Bookstore…
…where you can buy complete, autographed sets of the entire Chaos Chronicles (to date) in evocative Starstream Publications trade paperback editions… or the first four books in first-edition Tor hardcovers. Or signed hardcover sets of The Reefs of Time and Crucible of Time. Or autographed copies of Eternity’s End, in the shiny new trade paperback, or the first-edition Tor hardcover. And much, much more. All (most?) at amazing, mark-down prices. (Truly amazing—that they are marked down, I mean.)
Don’t see what you want? Shoot me an email. There’s a good chance I’ve got it and just haven’t listed it yet.
In case you’re wondering, StarRiggerBooks is me, using Etsy as a platform. So you’ll get the same personal service, satisfaction almost guaranteed, by using the Etsy order form. Come to think of it, I wouldn’t know how to give impersonal service. I am my only underpaid employee. And I defy you to find a marketing algorithm anywhere in this store. Go ahead and look! Seriously. Look.
To all you USians traveling for Thanksgiving, travel safely and enjoy your holiday, I hope with family and treasured friends.
If you subscribe to Bookbub, you probably already got the wireless flash: the ebook price for The Reefs of Time has hit submerged rocks or something, because it’s low in the water, lower than it’s ever been or was ever designed to be. This is terrible! Help me offload these ebooks before it goes under. They’re big ebooks. And the price has dropped precipitously, to $.99!
Danger! Danger! Aaoogah! Aaoogah!
And no wonder they weigh so much: The Reefs of Time takes us to the heart of the galaxy, and a billion years into the past, to find the birthplace of the malicious Mindaru. The relativistic effects alone are… well, relativistic. Think of the mass increase! At $.99? It’s staggering.
Here are some other reasons you and your friends and your friends’ second cousins’ guy they know want to grab some copies: It is “rich, dignified prose wedded to excellent and imaginative storytelling on the grandest scale,” according to Charles E. Gannon, author of the Caine Riordan world. It is “stunning science fiction and character-driven narrative with a strong theme of ‘coming home,’” according to Aurealis Magazine. Do you need more reasons? No, you don’t.
You can help carry away copies from all major ebookstores, for an energy expenditure of just $.99! Hurry! Just click one of these:
Oh, and tell Vinnie’s cousin’s friend, if she reads this, she’ll kind of want to read the rest of the story in Crucible of Time.
Here’s some good news: Two small, but highly regarded, SF magazines have published glowing reviews of The Reefs of Time and Crucible of Time.
A little perspective might be in order. One of the hardest things about shifting from traditional publishing to indie is trying to get your books reviewed in traditional review circles—even from publications that have been reviewing you favorably for years. This goes for mainstream press as well as most SF publications. Well, finally some reviews for Reefs and Crucible have come in! Here are some choice bits…
From Amazing Stories:
“There are giant, and brilliant, concepts in these books… If you haven’t read it you’re in for a whale of a ride! I, personally, will have to pick up more of Jeffrey Carver—not just this series—because I’ve become a fan of his world/galaxy-spanning imagination! I highly recommend these books.” —Steve Fahnestalk, Amazing Stories Magazine
And from Australia’s Aurealis Magazine:
“Jeffrey A. Carver’s long-awaited return to The Chaos Chronicles underpins its stunning science fiction and character-driven narrative with a strong theme of ‘coming home’… As narratives intertwine at separate ends of the timescale, Carver’s talent for weaving incredible technology and worldbuilding with meaningful character moments is a standout.
“Each location and the alien race that lives there feels tangible and diverse, with a realism that supports the underpinning themes of being lost, searching for connection and juxtaposing expectations against reality.
“[A] compelling narrative that combines the best of science fiction’s flair with its unique capacity to dissect the human condition. Fans of Carver’s Chaos Chronicles won’t want to miss this latest installment, and new readers will find it an easily-accessible entry to a fascinating, well-told universe.” — Terence MacManus, Aurealis
And finally:
I learned this from a friend, who sent me a screenshot—Locus Magazine apparently listed Sunborn Number One for SF ebooks at Smashwords in December. Not sure what it’s based on—but I’ll take it.
Audiobooks of The Reefs of Time and Crucible of Time have hit the ground with a hop, skip, and a twist. The narrations by Stefan Rudnicki have been finished for a while now. But their appearance in stores has been erratic and slow. A glitch at Findaway tripped up the distribution of Reefs, which should have been out a month ago—but it’s now finally appeared in a handful of stores. Unfortunately, Audible is not yet one of them. Lon-n-ng review times (caused by a flood of new submissions) have caused delays for both books in getting into Audible and Amazon.
Crucible was actually the first to make it through to the first stores, even though it was the second to be recorded and uploaded. But Reefs is catching up. Right now you can get them both at Apple, Scribd, Google Play, Kobo, Chirp, and eStories. I hope to see both of them in all the stores before too much longer. For continually updated purchase links, see my Audiobooks page.
In the meantime, I’m pleased to report that my new audiobooks really are finding an audience. Keep spreading the word for me, okay?
Addendum: Crucible just showed up in the Nook store, and they’re selling it for 25% off. In fact, they have the whole series discounted. Go, Nook! (Reefs is now there, too.)
Breaking news: Reefs is now available in the Audible store, as well as Amazon! See my Audiobooks page.
Not me, Stefan Rudnicki. He started this week recording the audiobook of The Reefs of Time! I can’t wait. If all goes well, it’ll be out and up for listening before the waning of summer!
The Literary Titan book review panel has spoken, and what they’ve said is, give a gold medal to The Reefs of Time! Here’s my gold medal. Here’s what they say:
“Our literary awards are given to books and authors that have astounded and amazed us with unique writing styles, vivid worlds, complex characters, and original ideas…
The Gold Award is bestowed on books that we found to be perfect in their delivery of original content, meticulous development of unique characters in an organic and striking setting, innovative plot that supports a fresh theme, and elegant prose that transforms words into beautifully written books.”
Am I going to argue with that?
Alert reader Laura _ sent me this copy of The Reefs of Time that she bought from Barnes and Noble online. Anything look wrong to you?
As you can see from this shot, I am holding just the cover open. The first page inside the cover is Prologue Two. Missing are all the front-matter pages, including title page and copyright, dedication, “Previously in The Chaos Chronicles” synopses, and Prologue One. Yikes! How many other people got defective books like this, and didn’t trouble to get in touch with me to let me know?
The book, as far as I have been able to determine so far, was printed by Ingram, a usually solidly reliable producer of books. I’ve asked for an investigation, but I don’t expect to have an answer anytime soon.
If you, or anybody you know, received a defective book, please let me know! Thanks!
Oh, and ditto if you get a copy of Sunborn with the cover type skewed to the side (which happened to me).
You know what makes a great gift? Books! Books books books! Get that Christmas and Hanukah shopping done ahead of time for once! I even have a suggestion for books you could give: The Reefs of Time and Crucible of Time! It’s a no-brainer, when you think about it.
For the valued reader in your circle, you could order the trade paperback editions. For the truly discerning, hardcovers may be the best choice.
In the old days, I used to sell autographed copies myself by mail. But that was before all the states got compulsive about collecting sales tax, and it became unworkable. So, if you’d like your copies autographed, the best way is to bring them to a con and ask me to sign them in person. That’s so much nicer, anyway.
If you use these purchase links, I’ll get a little something extra in the way of referral fees:
The Reefs of Time — paperback | hardcover
Crucible of Time — paperback | hardcover
Your gift recipients will thank you, and so will I.
P.S. If you’d rather give other print volumes in the series, here are some other options:
Neptune Crossing | Strange Attractors | The Infinite Sea